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Southern Hills Athletic Conference honors All-Conference Softball

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Here is your 2026 Southern Hills Athletic Conference All-Conference Softball Team. Front row, from left, Elliana Applegate, Manchester; Addison Arey, Eastern Brown; Chloe Armstrong, North Adams; Noel Barnhill, Lynchburg-Clay; Lilly Carlier, Fayetteville; Chloe Cox, Fayetteville; Kelsie Crowder, Fairfield; and Carlee Garrison, North Adams; Back row, from left, Sadie Kuipers, Lynchburg-Clay; Bristynn McClanahan, Manchester; Kaelyn Musser, Peebles; Kendall Myers, Peebles; Rilee Quickle, Fairfield; Emmery Simpson, Eastern Brown; Maddison Simpson, Eastern Brown; Emily Stapleton, West Union; and Marnie Tolle, North Adams. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

Here is your 2026 Southern Hills Athletic Conference All-Conference Softball Team. Front row, from left, Elliana Applegate, Manchester; Addison Arey, Eastern Brown; Chloe Armstrong, North Adams; Noel Barnhill, Lynchburg-Clay; Lilly Carlier, Fayetteville; Chloe Cox, Fayetteville; Kelsie Crowder, Fairfield; and Carlee Garrison, North Adams; Back row, from left, Sadie Kuipers, Lynchburg-Clay; Bristynn McClanahan, Manchester; Kaelyn Musser, Peebles; Kendall Myers, Peebles; Rilee Quickle, Fairfield; Emmery Simpson, Eastern Brown; Maddison Simpson, Eastern Brown; Emily Stapleton, West Union; and Marnie Tolle, North Adams. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

Pictured above are 2026 SHAC Softball Player of the Year Carlee Garrison and Coach of the Year Paula Armstrong, both from North Adams High School. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

Pictured above are 2026 SHAC Softball Player of the Year Carlee Garrison and Coach of the Year Paula Armstrong, both from North Adams High School. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

With a 12-1 confrence record, the North Adams Lady Devils are the 2026 champions of the big school division of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference for the first time in school history. Front row, from left, Haylee Arthur, Ahlyesa Taylor, Carlee Garrison, Paige Evans and Marnie Tolle; Middle row, from left, Ashlyn Fields, Raelynn Johnson, Riley Woods, Ashlynn Bolton, Brooklyn Hancock and Gracie Williams; Back row, from left, Tailor Lloyd, Melanie Wood, Marley Whalen, Chloe Armstrong and Lilly Parker. <span data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Absent from picture were Coach Paula Armstrong and assistant coaches Andy Garrison and Kathy Tolle. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)</span>

With a 12-1 confrence record, the North Adams Lady Devils are the 2026 champions of the big school division of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference for the first time in school history. Front row, from left, Haylee Arthur, Ahlyesa Taylor, Carlee Garrison, Paige Evans and Marnie Tolle; Middle row, from left, Ashlyn Fields, Raelynn Johnson, Riley Woods, Ashlynn Bolton, Brooklyn Hancock and Gracie Williams; Back row, from left, Tailor Lloyd, Melanie Wood, Marley Whalen, Chloe Armstrong and Lilly Parker. Absent from picture were Coach Paula Armstrong and assistant coaches Andy Garrison and Kathy Tolle. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

With a conference mark of 10-3 the Peebles Lady Indians are the 2026 small school division champions of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Front row, from left, Katie Myers, Kendall Young, Amryn Carroll, Reese Davis and Josie McGhee; Middle row, from left, Jerzi Tong, Reagan MyCoskie, Kiera Scott, Layla Musser and Aleah Purcell; Back row, from left, Izzy Hawkins, Piper Allen, Hyalee Shields, Riley Byers, Kendall Myers and Kaelyn Musser. Not pictured is Head Coach Amanda Myers. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)<b data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"> </strong>

With a conference mark of 10-3 the Peebles Lady Indians are the 2026 small school division champions of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Front row, from left, Katie Myers, Kendall Young, Amryn Carroll, Reese Davis and Josie McGhee; Middle row, from left, Jerzi Tong, Reagan MyCoskie, Kiera Scott, Layla Musser and Aleah Purcell; Back row, from left, Izzy Hawkins, Piper Allen, Hyalee Shields, Riley Byers, Kendall Myers and Kaelyn Musser. Not pictured is Head Coach Amanda Myers. (Photo courtesy of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference)

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

The spring sports postseason awards parade has begun with the softball coaches of the Southern Hill Athletic Conference met to select their 2026 All-Conference Teams. It was a banner softball season for Adams County as they county produced the champions of both the big school and small school divisions of the SHAC and garnered eight sports on the All-Conference Team, three from big school champion North Adams, two from small school champion Peebles, two from Manchester and one from West Union.

Coach Paula Armstrong and her North Adams Lady Devils were the feel-good story of the spring, shattering records left and right, including a school record 22 wins against just six losses, 12-1 in conference, wiining their first SHAC title in school history. That performance earned Armstrong the SHAC Softball Coach of the Year honors.

The Lady Devils’ berths on the All-Conference Team included a pair of freshmen in slugging catcher Chloe Armstrong ans shortstop/pitcher Marnie Tolle. Armstrong took the conference by storm with a monster season that saw her hit ..560 (second in the SHAC) and bash a record 13 home runs, while driving in 46 runs (tied for tops in the SHAC). Her 13 two-base hits were third in the conference, and she still has three seasons left to improve on those numbers.

Tolle hit .354 for the spring, driving home 17 and scoring 36 runs hitting from the leadoff spot. Tolle will likely take over as the team’s #1 pitcher next season and in her tune up this spring, she went 5-1 with a 1.75 earned run average, striking out 60 opposing hitters.

North Adams also produced the Conference Player of the Year in senior Carlee Garrison. Garrison earned her POY honor after a season that saw her hit. 400 with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBI’s, while scoring 34 runs. Her best work may have come in the center circle where the right hander went 17-5 (second in the SHAC in wins) with a conference-best 1.47 ERA. Garrison was fourth in the SHAC with her 144 strikeouts.

The Peebles Lady Indians rebounded from a disappointing 2025 season to emerge in 2026 as the small school champions of the SHAC, going 10-3 in conference play and 18-6 overall, earning them two spots on the All-Conference squad, beginning with senior pitcher Kaelyn Musser.

The southpaw Musser was one of the dominant hurler in southeast Ohio, going 18-6 (most wins in the SHAC), with a 1.85 earned run average (second in the SHAC). She led the conference with a very impressive 198 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched and tossed seven shutouts. At the plate, the lefty-swinging Musser hit .342, scoring 26 runs and driving home 13.

Joining Musser on the All-SHAC Team was sophomore teammate Kendall Myers. The Peebles catcher was fourth in the SHAC with a .519 batting average, cranking out 14 extra-base hits, including five that cleared the fences. Myers scored 30 runs and drove home 31 in a solid second season with the Lady Indians.

The Manchester Lady Greyhounds finished with an overall record of 15-11, 6-7 in conference play and placed a pair of juniors on the All-Conference squad. Pitcher Elliana Applegate put together one of the finest seasons in MHS softball history, hitting at a .580 clip to lead the SHAC and tying for the conference lead with 46 runs batted in. She also tied for the conference lead in runs scored with 48, had 25 extra-base hits, including seven homers, and swiped 17 bases. In the center circle, Applegate went 13-7 with a 4.26 ERA and fanned 89 batters in 93 innings of work.

The other Manchester representative on the All-SHAC team was Applegate’s battery mate, junior catcher Bristynn McClanahan, who hit a robust .451 for the spring with 13 extra-base knocks, including three longballs. McClanahan rounded out an impressive stat sheet with 34 runs scored, 36 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases.

The West Union Lady Dragons finished the spring at 7-15 overall, just 1-12 in the SHAC, and were represented on the All-Conference Team by senior Emily Stapleton. Stapleton hit .418 for the spring, driving home 19 runs, scoring 23 and stealing nine bases to round out her fine career at WUHS.

The remainder of the All-Conference Softball team included: Addison Arey, Emmery Simpson, Maddison Simpson (Eastern Brown); Noel Barnhill, Sadie Kuipers (Lynchburg-Clay); Kyra Boyd (Whiteoak); Lilly Carlier, Chloe Cox (Fayetteville); Kelsie Crowder, Rilee Quickle (Fairfield); Brooklyn Manning (Ripley).

The All-Conference Teams was honored at the SHAC Spring Sports Awards, held on June 2 at West Union High School

2026 SHAC Softball Standings

Division I (Big School)

North Adams 12-1

Eastern Brown 9-4

Lynchburg-Clay 9-4

Ripley 1-12

West Union 1-12

Division II (Small School)

Peebles 10-3

Fairfield 9-4

Manchester 6-7

Fayetteville 6-7

Whiteoak 2-11

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